I've tried combining the feather and the ink, but other than just trying to combine them in the inventory, I haven't tried any special way of combining them. And the gateway as in the mirror to the land of the dead? Yes, I have examined it numerous times since talking with Death.

Ok, I reloaded an old savegame from when I had just received the tasks to become a mage, and you're right, initially you can only examine the book of the dead because Wilbur doesn't know what it's for. After he had a good long talk with Death, he does know, and he can then attempt to write in it, i.e. the cursor goes red over the book when I wield the feather.If you did talk with death to the point where Wilbur knows what the book is for and how it works, have combined the feather with the inkwell (it should say something like "now I can write something"), and knows about entering the mirror (it's a conversation point with death, actually), and still can't write in it, I don't know what you could be missing.Of course when you get that far, you still need to stop Death from preventing you from writing in it... ;-)

1. Use the fireworks from the Merchant and put them in the stove2. Wait for Death, he will look away at the stove, so you can write in the book3. Now you just pick the feather, while having the ink in the bag also, and then click on the book

Voila! You do not have to combine things, just distract Death before doing it!

Yeah, just as I wrote, "he can then attempt to write in it, i.e. the cursor goes red over the book when I wield the feather." I think the game tought us how to use items when we were still an elf on the back of a dragon...

Yeah, that's probably when we were first taught. And yes, I've already completed that segment. *laughs* I'm now trying to help some zombies, and haven't had a problem since the deal with the book. Thanks for y'all's help, anyways!